Elevator.



' B. EPSTEIN.

ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED P11348. 1909.

, Patented May 24, i910.

h F fr i m .lllllllllllllllllllullll .Il "4H I I l will 30 7A-l tute thespecification and the distinct fearove one terminal C3 of acounter-balancing BARNETT PSTEIN, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

iiLnvAToR.l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1910.

Application led February 18, 1909.V Serial No. 478,728.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, BARNETT EPSTEIN, a citizenof the United States,residing in the cityof New York, in the county and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevators, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention in elevators relates to that class adapted to thetransportation of freight and passengers and has particular reference totypes of such elevators wherein the motive power apparatus is carried bythe car or platform and adapted to propel the same by engagingsupplementary structure located along or in the elevatorshaft, and it iswith reference to this type that my invention is more particularlydirected.

The object of my invention is to provide primarily in an elevator of thecharacter referred to an effective power transmission system embracingthe highest type of safety device, and secondly to provide aninexpensive and durable construction which may be readily applied toanlelevator shaft or way for'either freight or passenger elevators orhoists, and the various featurescharacteristic of my invention whereby Iattain these objects are depicted in thedrawings'hereto attached and thedescriptive matter relative thereto, which when taken togetherconstitures of novelty are pointed out finally `in the claims.

With reference to the drawings, Figure 1 is a --side elevational view ofmy improved elevator and the ways along which the same tracks andguides, a section of the upper portion of the ways being removed, and aportion of the gear case likewise being removed, and Fig. 2 is anenlarged, fragmentary cross sectional detailed view through the gear boXand ways. c y Y In both figures similar characters of referenceareemployed to designate like parts, wherein y v Y A refers to anelevator car comprising a platform or sill B, a lifting truss C, andside frames or pilasters D and lDuniting the sill and lifting truss. Theelevator thus constituted is supported by a pair of diametricallyoppositely situated columns or ways E and F through a joist or beam Fcarried thereby and hung from t-he beam F and throughran eye bolt Ccentrally secured to the beam C, by an eye C2 through which is cablewhich is rove around a sheave C* axially mounted and carried by astandard C5 secured tothe beam F intermediately, and a horizontalportion C of the cable is rove around a second sheave C7, which turnsvertically downward and the vertical portion C8 is secured at itsterminal to an eye bolt C9, engaging a counter-balancing weight Dsliding in the ways E. The proportioning of the counter-balancingweight- D to that of the car A and the load which the same is designedto carry is such as to comply with the practice, in elevatorconstruction, for those operated through cable transmission.

The principle upon which my improved elevator is operated involves therack and pinion system of transmission driven by a worm gear, the formerbeing secured to the ways and the latter electrically driven is carriedunder the car by the Hoor thereof. The former is referred to at G whichconsists of preferably a steel girder rail having a rounded tread I-Iand a comparatively broad flange or foot I. These are composedpreferably of sections and are united at their abutting terminals byanglebars and bolts J in a well known'mannerV (in railroadconstruction.) The rails G thus coupled up are carried by and secured tothe respective ways E and F by means of bridge bolts or spikes in aywellknown manner.

The rails G I shall occasionally refer to hereinafter as a track and thesame have their tread surface I-I cut to form a rack to engage a wormwheel K, revolving on an aXle 7c in a bearing within the frame-workwhich is driven by a screw or worm L coupled with the motor shaft M ofany electric or other suitable motor m. f A f In the construction asillustrated the two opposing rails as G constitute a track or'way `alongwhich theelevator car travels, and a single electric motor m is employedto drive the car through the gear K. I have duplicated this gear forboth the opposing rails as G but have arranged them to rotate inoppositerdirections and to this end the teeth of the gears for theopposite rails Gr of the way are respectively of right and left handedworm formation and the two corresponding worms have their-spiralconvolutions oppositely pitched.

In' order to take Y upv the thrust of the worms L, I providea thrustbearing Nwhich is confined within` the walls of the casingy or gearboxes O at diametrically opposite eX- tremities of the motor m. The gearboxes O comprise the side plates or cheeks P carrying the lugs V. Theside plates or cheeks IJ are united by juxtaposed flanges It which aresecured in a well known manner by bolts an Carried within the lugs V area pair of inclined rollers S having an integral stem or spindle T and athrust bearing U. These rollers are maintained in their position bycapscrewed covers V which are secured to their respective lugs V. Thedisposition of the rollers S is such that they bear againsty and trackalong the underside of the heads H of the respective rails Gr atopposite sides of the way of the elevator shaft and maintain during thetransit of the elevator car positive engagement of the rack formed inthe tread Irl of the rail, and the worm wheels K.

In order to maintain a rigid brace for the gear boxes O at oppositeextremities of the motor shaft, I provide a brace IV which has anintegral platform lV. The brace IV is secured by its oppositeextremities to the flanges l of the gear cases O respectively by boltslw and the platform IV is secured to the base of the motor m. The upperedges of the gear cases O are provided with laterally extended flanges lwhereby they are secured by bolts F2 to the platform or sill B of theelevator car. The vlloor or sill B of the car is provided with a pocketor trap door Z) to render access to the handhole b of the motor mi. Themotor m is controlled by a controller 1B which is electrically connectedwith controller leads e and electrically connected with the switch blockor board d, motor leads g and 7L passing through the bushings g2 and grespectively, and the feed wires, which are connected with the source ofelectrical supply for operating the elevator are connected up in theusual manner by a flexible cord when the conditions will permit, withcoupling wires e and f carried by the switch block d.

"When the height of the elevator shaft does not permit of carrying therequisite length of cable without undue strain, I provide a slottedconduit and sliding contact system therein, consisting of a boxing orconduit F2 which extends along one of the ways E for approximately theheight of the shaft presenting along the front surface a centrallongitudinal slot within which are channel conductors e3 and which areelectrically connected with the source of electrical supply by means ofthe connected binding posts e2 and f2 respectively. Vithin the trough orcasing F2 is a sliding shoe comprising the spring conductors e4 and f*which are held insulated from each other within an insulated plow j, andis secured to a cover plate F3. The cover plate F3 is of a lengthapproximately the height of that of the car A and covers the slotsufficiently to prevent aecidental electrical contact between anymaterial which might be cariied by the car or to otherwise protect theduct or conduit F2 against refuse entering the slot from the car.

In making electrical connection between the spring conductors c* and f4,the cable connections c and are electrically connected with theconductors "l and e" of the shoe and the plow j is bolted or otherwisesecured tothe flange Ilof the gear case O.

Prior to starting the elevator into action, it being assumed that themotor m is in electrical communication with a suitable source ofelectrical supply, the gear boxes O are provided with a supply of greaseor heavy lubricating oil which is preferably introduced at the top so asto cover the worms L and the refuse is permitted to trickle into theteeth or rack of the rails G thereby providing a sort of greasecirculation for the worms L, the gears K and their axles Z: as well asthe rack, and the thrust bearings N if desired may be independentlylubricated or may receive a supply of grease from the revolving screws Lwhen they are revolving in a direction to propel the grease toward thethrust bearings and force the same through the adjacent bearing of theshafts of the worms L in their respective oppositely situated gearcases. A supply of grease may also be maintained within the caps Vl forthe shafts T and thrust bearing U of the rollers S. To start theelevator A into operation, the controller 1B is turned as in operating arailroad motor so as to turn the electrical energy into the motor m,whereupon the motor will rotate in a direction to correspond with theoperation of the controller 1B, either for raising or lowering accordingto the will of the operator whereupon the worms L will be set intorotation revolving the worm gears K while in contact with the racks ofthe rails G and thereby forcing the car A either up or down the elevatorshaft according to whether the motor is rotating right or left handedly,and while the car A is progressing the guide rollers S bearing againstthe underside of the heads H of the rails G will maintain the properdepth relation of the teeth of the rails Gr at least in so far asspreading is concerned.

It is obvious that in the construction of my improved elevator, I mayemploy a double track of rails G on opposite sides of the elevator shaftor even a triple track depending upon the conditions of the load towhich the elevator car A is subjected, or to the proportion of the widthto that of the height of the said car and to this end, I may adopt acorresponding system of gear carried by the gear shafts 7c or aplurality of motors m, driving independent gears K through worms L. Itwill be well understood by my construction that when the elevator isstopped at any point, it will remain at rest and be locked in positionby virtue of the inability of the gears K to revolve since they arelocked by the worms L as will be clearly understood by those familiarwith worm gears, and it is therefore obvious that my improved elevatorconstruction presents a safety device Which obviates the hazard offalling which is occasioned bythe breaking of cables in the usual typesof elevators in vogue.

I am aware that previous to my invention elevators have been in vogueoperated by a worm gear and I do not therefore claim these broadly as myinvention, and

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States.

l. In an elevator system of the character described, a shaft, a trackwithin the shaft, comprising oppositely situated rails, said railsprovided with flanges respectively, and intermediate web and treadsurfaces for each, the'tread surfaces of each being provided withspirally formed gearing teeth, said rails having inclined internal edgesdis posed as tread surfaces, a car playing within the shaft, a motor, acasing for the motor,

spiral gearing carried by the casing adapted to engage the spiral teethof the said rails and worm gearing carried by the casing and driven bythe motor adapted to engage the said spiral gearing, covers for thecasing and rollers carried by the casing and embraced by the coversadapted to engage the lateral margins of the rails at opposite sides ofthe sha 2. In an elevator system of the character described, an elevatorshaft, a pair of toothed tee rails carried by the shaft and securedthereto, an electrical conduit within the shaft, a car suspended Withinthe shaft, an electric motor carried by the car and adapted to makeelectrical contact with the aforesaid conduit, a casing for the motor,worm gears carried in the casing and adapt ed t0 engage the tee rails,worms driven by the motor engaging the worm gears, rollers provided withspindles carried by the casing adapted to engage the tee rails laterallyand convergingly under the rack surface thereof and covers for thecasing embracing the spindles of the said rollers in bearing relation,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

BARNETT EPSTEIN Vitnesses:

WM. P. PERKINS, SADIE KRAFT.

